We'll Be Okay
by houseofregret
Summary: Several months have passed since the incident in Salt Lake City, and Joel and Ellie are living comfortably in Tommy's town. However, the dreadful day that Joel had buried in the past has now resurfaced, leaving Ellie on the verge of a breaking point and Joel helpless as he watches her fall apart. Will their relationship survive the test? Or will they finally go their separate ways?
1. Told You So

**This is my first story, so it's probably not all that great. Let me know what you think, and be sure to leave a review when you're done! It gives me an idea of what you guys like/dislike and what I can do to improve the story. :) Thank you!**

* * *

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead." Ellie's eyes slowly fluttered open to the sound of that familiar Texan accent.

She rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn. "Morning, big guy."

He was sitting in a chair beside her bed, his legs crossed with an old motorcycle magazine sitting in his lap.

"How'd you sleep?"

Stretching her arms out as far as they could go, she yawned once again. "Eh. As good as I can on this shitty thing." She motioned towards the old, torn mattress she was sitting on with holes covering its entirety.

"Well, c'mon, get some breakfast in you. The kids are playin' some movies in the main room if you're interested. Tommy's gettin' some men together for a supply run, so I'll be with them for the rest of the day."

"Aw, can't I come with you?" She asked, pouting her lips and slightly raising her eyebrows.

"Not today, kiddo," he said, lifting himself out of the chair. "We're headin' a few towns over - it's all unknown territory. We won't be back 'til late."

"I'm 15," she huffed. "I may be young, but I'm not an idiot. I can handle myself. Besides, I'd rather hang out with you guys then sit inside and watch shitty princess movies all day."

He chuckled. "Just... do it for me, alright? I'll feel better knowin' you're here safe and sound."

She glared at him, her arms folded across her chest. "You never let me do anything fun anymore."

"Maria needs your help doing some work around the town, anyways. You can meet up with her after you eat." He gave her a quick smile and ruffled her hair. "Next time, I promise."

And with that, he made his way out of the door. Ellie sighed and fell back onto her bed. Ever since they arrived at Tommy and Maria's settlement, Joel had been acting strange - he was always holding her back, like he was trying to protect her from something. And he seemed... distant. Like he was hiding something. Whenever someone asked about their trek back to Wyoming or the Fireflies, he'd immediately change the subject or ignore it completely. She couldn't help but remember their conversation at the top of the hill, when Joel had sworn everything he said about the fireflies was true. What if it wasn't? Was Joel really capable of that?

She quickly brushed it off and cleared her head as she went outside to meet with Maria.

"Good morning, Ellie!" Maria yelled from across the courtyard, leaning on her shovel and wiping her forehead. "Wanna give me a hand?"

Ellie nodded her and grabbed another shovel from the tool shed. They were working on a small garden - one of Maria's big plans for the town - that included several different kinds of fruits and vegetables and provided them with extra food for when the winter rolled around.

As they dug through the cold, hard soil, Ellie noticed a group of Tommy's men opening the gate and leaving on horseback into the woods. She quickly picked out Joel from the group and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Everything alright?" Maria asked, noticing Ellie's expression.

"Can you give me a minute? I need to do something really quickly."

Before she could respond, Ellie had dropped her shovel and run towards the gate. Maria watched curiously as she disappeared into the forest alongside Tommy's men. She shook her head and smiled, then continued her work.

* * *

"Man, it feels good to be back out here again," Joel said as he made his way along the rocky forest path. The sun filtered through the trees and caressed his face, and he breathed in deeply as he took in the cool, morning air. It was all very refreshing to him.

Tommy laughed. "Yeah, kind of takes your mind off of all of the shit we've had to deal with."

His laughing quickly faded as he noticed the suddenly somber expression on Joel's face. He took a deep breath and carried on the conversation.

"You alright there, brother?"

"I'm fine," Joel retorted. "Just have a lot on my mind."

The birds were chirping loudly and the breeze began to pick up, filling the silence between the two brothers.

"So, are you ever gonna tell me what happened back in Salt Lake City? Or are you gonna keep mopin' around like you're hiding something?"

Joel could feel Tommy trying to catch his gaze, but he continued to look forward at the path ahead of him.

"God damnit, Joel!" He pulled his reigns back tightly and the horse came to a complete stop.

"Keep your voice down, Tommy," Joel said through gritted teeth.

"Don't you dare. You're livin' by _my_ rules now. Now you best tell me what the hell happened back there, or I'll send your sorry ass right back to where you came from."

Joel closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. From the moment he and Ellie arrived back at Tommy's plant, he hoped he'd never have to talk about the incident in Salt Lake City. He wanted to bury it in the past, forget it happened at all - but Tommy was making that difficult.

"Alright, alright. Just... not here, okay?"

Tommy managed to keep his cool and nodded in agreement.

"Hey, guys!" He whistled at the rest of the group. "Joel and I have something we need to deal with. Keep close and holler if there's any trouble." They agreed and continued towards the highway.

"Alright," he said as he unmounted his horse. "Shoot."

Joel hesitated for a moment. "Tommy, I..."

"Joel," Tommy said through clenched teeth. "Tell me what happened."

He sighed, struggling to find the right words.

"They?"

"Marlene and her men. They wanted to go through with the surgery even if it would kill her. And I couldn't..." He paused for a moment, a pained expression crossing his face. Joel was not keen on showing how he really felt, especially in front of his little brother. He hated feeling weak. "I couldn't let them take her away from me, Tommy. Not after all of that time."

Joel closed his eyes tightly and winced as he remembered seeing her lifeless body on that operating table. How he shot those doctors just to get his baby girl back, and the fear that ran through him as he carrying her small, fragile body down that hallway and away from those soldiers. That day was burned into the back of his mind; it was always there, lurking around and waiting for the perfect moment to resurface and consume him with guilt.

"There's no way Marlene let you out of there without a fight," Tommy added. His voice softened as he noticed how upset his brother looked. "How'd you get away? Is she after you now? I swear to god, Joel, if she sends her men out here-"

"Marlene's dead," Joel quickly interrupted.

Tommy took a step back, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Dead? Wha- how?"

"I shot her. She told me to let her go, but I knew she would just come after Ellie, and I... I just couldn't risk that."

"You're tellin' me you shot the leader of the Fireflies over a little girl?" Tommy tried to process what his brother was telling him. He wasn't fond of Marlene, that was obvious, but he was surprised Joel took it as far as he did. The deafening silence between the two brothers was soon interrupted by a loud rustling noise from the forest ahead.

"What the hell was that?" Tommy asked, clutching the gun in his jacket.

"Who's there?" Joel asked gruffly, his gun aimed at the brush before him. His finger pranced along the trigger until the source of the noise stepped out and revealed themselves.

It was Ellie.

The look on her face was so angry, so terrifying, that it even made Joel nervous - and normally it was the other way around.

"I knew it. I fucking knew it!" she cried.

Tommy gave Joel a say-something-before-shit-hits-the-fan kind of look. He took notice to this and tried to calm her down, but he was cut short before he could get a word out.

"Save it, Joel." She looked different - her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks raw and wet from crying.

It killed Joel to see her this way, because it only reminded him more of the previous winter and everything she had been through. He wanted so badly to grab her shoulders, look her in the eyes and tell her everything would be okay. But he couldn't. Nothing he said or did would change the way she looked at him now. He lied to her after she built up her trust in him, and that would not be an easy thing to fix.

"Listen to me, Ellie. The surgery, it... you would've died on that operating table. Do you understand that?"

"I was their only hope," Her voice cracked. "I could've saved lives."

"There's no way of knowin' that for sure. You were an object to them. A prize. They didn't care about you or your well being, all they wanted was that god damned cure. And who's to say it would've worked anyways? If it wasn't already obvious, the Fireflies aren't very likeable people. People'd rather have 'em dead then take some bullshit cure from them."

"They didn't care about me or my welling being? They? You were the one who wanted to get rid of me the minute Marlene sent me with you."

It was true - when Marlene first announced that they'd have to take her to the Fireflies, Joel was livid. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with that little girl - all she did was cause trouble for him. If he had just turned around and left, Tess would still be alive and he'd still be living his old, dangerous lifestyle.

"People change, Ellie. _I changed_. Did you really think I was going to give you up that easily? After all we'd gone through together?"

Ellie wiped her eyes before more tears could spill over.

"The key word here is 'could've.' It could've failed, it could've worked. You didn't even give it a chance, Joel."

"Because it didn't deserve a chance. Take a look around you, would'ya? The world as we know it is gone. A cure could help the infected, but it wouldn't change the fact that our world has gone to complete shit. Bandits, cannibals... the dangers are endless. There is nothing left to save. Nothing _worth_ saving."

"For once, I could have done something right! Something good, something to be proud of!" Her face dropped. "I know what's best for me, Joel. And this was it."

"You are a child!" The anger in his voice took both Tommy and Ellie by surprise. "How the hell do you know what's best for you?"

He knew that Ellie was more than just a 'child' - that she was strong and determined and capable of making decisions on her own. He just didn't want to admit it to himself.

"Just tell me why," she said, desperation clear in her voice. "Why'd you do it?"

"I was just..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "I was just trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" She cocked her head to the side and laughed. "Fuck you, Joel. I don't need protecting. And I sure as hell don't need you."

She turned around and ran back towards the settlement without a world. Joel started to run after her, but Tommy held his arm out to stop him.

"Give her some space," he said placidly. "She needs it."

* * *

One. Two. Three. Four.

Ellie counted the ticks on the clock as she lay on her bed, her legs comfortably tucked beneath her arms. The sound helped to calm her down when she was feeling stressed, but this time it had little to no effect.

All she could think about was the argument she and Joel had earlier. She knew he was lying to her right from the start, she just didn't want to come to terms with it. How could the one person in this world that she truly cared for, the person who knew her inside and out, someone she trusted with her life - lie right to her face? Because he was selfish. He didn't care about Ellie or her 'well being'; he only cared about himself and what he wanted. Did he stop once and think about what _she_ wanted? How _she'd_ feel about the situation? What if she wanted to die on that operating table, whether it gave them a proper cure or not?

Her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching her room. She quickly turned her back towards the door and stared out of the window to avoid any sort of conversation that would take place.

A few footsteps and two short knocks later, the door opened.

"Ellie?" That familiar gritty southern accent made her wince.

"Look, about what happened back there... I hope we can talk about it. I hope you'll talk to _me_."

_There's nothing left to talk about,_ she thought to herself. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to make him go away, but it was no use. She could practically feel her eyeballs burning into her back.

He sighed. "Maria's almost done with dinner. Come out when you're ready, alright?"

He exited the room, slamming the door behind him and sending a shiver up her spine. She sucked in a deep breath and once again lay in silence as she counted the ticks of the clock. Then it hit her.

She propped one eye open and scanned the room around her until she caught sight of her backpack hanging on the back of the doorknob.

She quickly propped herself out of bed and grabbed the bag. Holding it by the tips of her fingers, she panned the room for any useful tools and supplies - her switchblade, of course; a half-empty box of granola bars; a canteen; some bandages and wire; matches; and the comic books Joel had collected for her. Along with those items, she grabbed her bow and arrows, her pistol, and some extra ammo.

She had no idea where she was going or where she'd end up, but that didn't matter anymore - all she knew was that she needed to get out there.

With her tears dried up and her bag slung over her shoulders, she took one last look at the room the two shared had shared those past few months and made her way out of the door.

* * *

Joel quietly approached their bedroom door, a plate full of food in one hand and a napkin in the other. Using his shoulder, he pushed the door open.

"Hey, uh, you didn't come out for dinner, so I grabbed you-" Joel's sentence was cut short after he noticed the emptiness of the room before him.

"Ellie?" he called out. No response.

"Ellie, this isn't funny." He set the plate on their dresser got down on his hands and knees, searching underneath both of the beds. Coming up empty, he ran down the hallway and asked everyone in sight whether they had seen her or not - they all shook their heads, deeming themselves useless.

He sighed and quickly turned back around towards their bedroom. As he stepped through the doorway, he felt a lump underneath his foot. Picking the object up, he realized that it was a piece of paper, crumpled up and rolled into a ball.

As he unraveled the letter, he noticed two words written messily in pen.

_I'm sorry._


	2. Miracle

Although dinner was finished, the dining hall was still crowded with people enveloped in conversation and genuinely enjoying each other's company. Tommy sat adjacent to Maria, holding her hand beneath the table and laughing as an elderly man across from him was telling one of his many childhood tales. The voices and laughter seemed to echo throughout the small establishment and gave everyone a sense of comfort - after the world was overrun, down time was a hard thing to come by, and they savored every minute of it.

Joel quietly slipped through the doorway as not to interrupt and made his way down the isle towards Tommy's seat.

"We have a problem," he said, one hand resting on Tommy's shoulder.

Tommy, still engrossed in conversation, motioned his hands towards the door as to tell him to go away. "Not now. I'm busy."

"Tommy," Joel said, tightening his grip and his voice turning into a growl. "You need to come with me. Now."

Tommy could feel the stares from the people surrounding him. "Okay, okay," he said, letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm coming."

He turned towards Maria and lightly pecked her forehead, then turned towards the rest of his company. "I'll be right back."

They all waved goodbye and quickly returned to their conversation as he and Joel exited the room. Closing the door behind him, Tommy crossed his arms and buried his back against the wall. "What is it now?"

"Ellie, she..."

"No," Tommy replied lividly. "I am not getting in the middle of this shit. Not again."

He started to walk towards the door, but Joel grabbed the handle to prevent him from leaving.

"She's gone."

"What do you mean 'gone'?"

"Her bag, her weapons... everything. She fucking left, Tommy!"

Tommy tilted his head and glared angrily at Joel. "Are you shitting me right now? You have got to learn how to control that goddamn kid, or I-"

"She's not a kid, Tommy. And this is nobody's fault but mine. So can we please stop the goddamn bickering and do something about this?"

Tommy grazed his fingers along his chin. "I, uh... I'll grab a few of my men and send out a search team. She's gotta be around here somewhere."

He squeezed Joel's shoulder and shot him a quick smile before calling in his men through the radio and making his way out of the door.

"Please, baby girl," Joel pleaded, his eyes closed tightly and his hands clasped together. "Please be okay."

* * *

The day was finally coming to a close; the sun shone brightly through the trees, kissing bits of the ground as it lowered behind the mountainside, and the air grew colder and colder as nighttime began to close in.

"Damn," Ellie mumbled to herself, rubbing her hands against her shoulders for warmth. It'd been several hours since she'd left the settlement and she was already having doubts - she quickly dismissed them, however, once she remembered what made her leave in the first place. But man, did she miss her warm bed.

Treading along the beaten down highway, she stumbled upon an abandoned cottage home just a few meters away. "Perfect."

The home had been reclaimed by mother nature - it was completely engulfed in moss and vines, and the field of grass surrounding it looked as if it could swallow it up whole. The windows were completed boarded up with plywood and strange markings created with spray paint littered the siding. Ellie had always been infatuated with aged and abandoned buildings - they provided her with passage to a world she never knew, and there was something really beautiful about that.

Using her arms to push the wild grass beside her, she slowly made her way through to the front entrance. The door handle was jammed; tucking her elbow into her stomach, she managed to burst the door open and was immediately greeted by musty air and dust balls.

"Fuck," she said, coughing and waving her hand through the air around her. "Doesn't look like anyone's been here for awhile."

She studied the room and noticed an array of cots - at least a dozen - lined up against the back wall. Beside them were crates stacked with magazines, empty cigarette cartons, and half-melted candles. It was obvious that the old cottage had been inhabited at one point, but judging by the thin layer of dust that coated every surface of the room, no one had been there for quite a while.

Ellie decided to explore the building even further and made her way up the wooden staircase, gently gliding her fingers across the railing as she tried to imagine what the little home looked like before the world went to, well... shit. The bay windows, now broken and boarded, were once opened and warmed the home with light; the floors were beautifully polished and practically begged to be danced upon; the walls were painted with vibrant colors and echoed with the laughter of children; the piano in the loft once played beautiful music that danced along the surfaces of the home. Although she was raised in this cruel world, she held on to the hope that one day she, too would be able to live a happy, normal life like the people in the stories she was told growing up.

After sifting through the rest of the top floor, Ellie discovered a large master bedroom complete with a king size bed, a walk in closet full of clothing, and a custom bookshelf complete with movies, novels from practically every author ever, and - oddly enough - comic books.

"Jackpot!" She yelled, tossing her backpack on the bed and rummaging through the collection.

"No. No. Too boring. Too many boobs. Already read it. Definitely no," she commented as she flipped through each book. "Aha!" She pulled out a boxed collection of Savage Starlight, the comics she had been reading for all of those months she had spent with Joel. A few of them were missing, but she was still excited to see the few issues she hadn't read yet. She pulled herself off of the ground and propped herself onto the bed, which, although it had no sheets, was still surprisingly comfortable. She reached for her bag and pulled out the copies that he had found for her, a faint smile on her face. She decided to save them for later, as she knew she'd be on the road again soon and would need something to keep her occupied.

Laying on the over sized bed, Ellie sprawled herself out and blew out air from her mouth. "What to do, what to do..." She had the entire house to herself - there had to be something she could do to keep herself entertained. Then she remembered the closet. Clothes. She'd always wanted to know what it was like to dress and act like a, well... girl.

She pranced over to the closet and began searching through the racks, picking out the craziest outfits she could find and trying them on. She then stood at the back of the closet, pretending to hold a microphone and introducing herself to the imaginary crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give it up for the amazingly beautiful and talented Ellie!" With her hands on her hips, she walked down the isle of the closet, humming an old rock ballad and striking a pose as she walked down the imaginary runway. She was wearing 5 inch heels that were two sizes too big, and her dress was bright pink and covered with jewels and feathers. A colorful sombrero sat atop her head and wiggled around as she continued to stumble through the closet. As soon as she reached the doorway, she managed to do one more dramatic pose and blow a kiss before falling flat on her face.

She held her stomach as she lay flat on the ground and laughed, the sound echoing throughout the room around her. It was nice to finally have some fun, even if it was just with herself this time. And who knew being a girl could be so difficult?

After she was able to control herself, she threw off the clothes and hobbled over to her bed, her ankle sore from the fall. She blew out the candle on the bedside table and huddled up on the bed with a blanket she found from another room. As she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, she could almost feel Joel's lips pressed against her forehead and his voice saying what he always had when she was about to fall asleep.

"_Sweet dreams. I love you, baby girl_."

* * *

Ellie's seemingly peaceful first night at the cottage was soon interrupted by a series of loud noises coming from the floor below her. Her eyes shot open as she tried to focus her hearing.

"Man, I am so sick of this shit!" a man's voice yelled. "Can't we just find the damn girl and get this over with?"

The girl? What were they talking about?

"It's been months and there's still no sign of her anywhere. There's gotta be tons more immune people out there. Why waste our time on this little bitch?" Another voice added.

She huffed. "Well then."

Ellie pulled out her pistol and quietly shuffled towards the bedroom door, slowly turning the doorknob as not to make a noise. The men had moved upstairs into the room across the way, and she followed the sound of their muffled conversation as she shimmied towards the opposite end of the hallway.

With her back buried against the wall and her pistol in hand, she took a deep breath and prepared to ambush the two men. As she turned the corner to surprise them, she felt someone pull her back and cup their hand over her mouth.

"What the - get the fuck off me!" She tried yelling, but it was quickly buried beneath the stranger's hand. Her gaze shifted to see who the person was. It was a boy - he looked to be about Ellie's age, if not a few years older. His blue eyes glistened as the moonlight hit them from the skylight above. He put one finger against his lips and shushed her as the sound of more footsteps came from the first floor. He looked her in the eyes and pulled her towards the bathroom, gently closing the door behind him.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she whispered, the anger clear in her voice.

"Saving your life," the boy replied through his small, panicked breaths. "Which, by the way, you're welcome."

"I didn't need your help," she shot back. "Besides, there's only a few of them. I could take 'em on with no problem."

He chuckled. "Is that so? Then, by any means, go back out there finish your business."

She rolled her eyes. Who was this kid?

"I, on the other hand, will be gathering what I need and getting the fuck out of here." He quietly rummaged throug the cabinets, grabbing some pills and an old toothbrush.

"Can we just get out of here, please?"

The boy stuffed the items in his backpack and walked over to the bathroom window. He pulled it open, motioning for her to go through. "Ladies first."

"Pfft." She climbed through and stepped onto the roof. She walked to the edge and slid herself onto the ground, the boy following right behind her. She took a second to brush herself off and started walking towards the woods.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked.

"Away from here."

"Well, I never did catch your name..."

This time Ellie stopped completely, turning to face the boy. She took a second to examine him - he was tall, at least 6 foot; he wore a tattered old band t-shirt with a light denim jacket over top of it, and a worn down pair of converse just like she had; his short, frosty blonde hair was gently brushed to the back of his head, revealing a scar across the top of his forehead and showing off his prominent facial features. She didn't want to admit it, but he was cute.

He smiled as he noticed her staring.

"Hello?" he asked, waving his hand in front of her face.

She quickly snapped out of it. "Oh, uh... Ellie. My name's Ellie."

"Nice to meet you, Ellie. I'm Bryce." He held out his hand, but she just stared at it.

"Okay, then," he said, pulling it back and awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "So... what brings you here?"

She glared at him. "Why does it matter?"

"I'm sensing some resistance."

"Don't ask stupid questions."

He laughed and slid his backpack off of his back, quickly rummaging through it for something.

"What are you doing?"

"Here," he said, holding out the boxed set of Savage Starlight she had found earlier that day. "You dropped this earlier. Y'know, when you were getting ready to brutally murder those bandits."

She hoffed and grabbed the books from his hand, stuffing them into her bag.

"So, you got a group?"

"No," she retorted. "It's just me."

She felt strange saying that out loud.

"Yeah," he replied, his voice going soft. "Me too."

The walked silently alongside each other for a few minutes before he revived the conversation.

"My camp's over there," he pointed towards a small opening in the woods. "I'm only there for the night, but if you want a place to crash, I gotta tent and more food than I can manage."

"I, uh... I'm good. I'm sure I'll find a place to stay up the road."

He laughed. "Good luck. There's nothing around here for miles. Next town's a few miles over. You'll freeze to death if you walk there now."

She hesitated for a moment, but was quickly interrupted by the loud growling of her stomach.

"I don't think so."

"Are you sure?" He raised his hands and started walking ahead, turning around to face her as he did so. "Are you sure? You're obviously hungry... and I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I make some _mean_ baked beans."

She laughed, holding her noisy stomach.

"Goodbye, Ellie." He shot her a quick smile and continued on his way.

He was right - according to her map, the next town over was almost 20 miles north, and that could take her hours. She was already freezing as it was. Her stomach growled again, this time sending a sharp jolt of pain throughout her body.

And she _was_ hungry.

"Hey!" she called after Bryce.

He stopped and turned his head back. "Yeah?"

"Save a bowl for me, would you?"


	3. Eyes Closed

**This is a shorter chapter - I just wanted to fit in some deeper conversation between Bryce and Ellie. It'll start picking up soon :) Let me know what you think of the story so far! Enjoy.**

* * *

"Well, make yourself at home," Bryce motioned towards his small camp site. It was placed shrewdly within the dense forest, located in a narrow clearing between two large boulders. He had a single tent set up with a tarp strung above it to shelter himself from the oncoming weather. A small fire pit sat in the middle of the clearing where he had two large branches tied together, forming an arch from which a small pot hung. It wasn't as posh as the master suite she had slept in earlier, but it was comfortable. It was _something._

Ellie took a seat on a rotting log Bryce had positioned around the fire pit and removed her backpack, setting it on the ground beside her. Bryce settled down in the spot beside her, pulling two cans of beans from his bag and pouring them into the pot. Grabbing a match from his pocket, he started a fire and stirred attentively.

"You like Bob Dylan?" Ellie asked, pointing at Bryce's shirt. It was old and barely decipherable, but she appreciated it nonetheless.

"Yeah," he said, a surprised look crossing his face. "I didn't think anyone'd notice that."

"Are you kidding? I used to listen to him all the time back in Boston." A smile crossed her face as she remembered listening to his tapes on her Walkman with Riley.

"Boston, huh?" he asked curiously.

"I told you my life is none of your business," she retorted. "Besides, we just met. Why would I tell shit to some stranger?"

"Well," he said, pouring some beans into a small bowl and handing it to Ellie. "I did save your ass back there."

She glared at him and took a bite of her meal, the savory taste filling her mouth and slowly warming her body as it slid down her throat.

"Oh, c'mon! It's not like I'm going to run around and spread all of your secrets," he joked. Ellie was not amused. "Ask me anything. Anything at all. I'll tell you whatever you wanna know."

"Okay," she said with fake enthusiasm. "First question. Why are you such an annoying little dick?"

He laughed. "Touché."

They both sat in silence, the flames from the fire illuminating both of their faces and painting them with a soft orange glow.

"I ran," she finally spoke, her eyes still fixed on the fire. "I had friends, family, a nice, comfortable life... and I ran."

Bryce studied her face and noticed the sad expression that covered it.

"This person that I had traveled with for over a year, who I had trusted with my life... he lied to me, and I couldn't stand the idea of that."

A lump formed in her throat at the very thought of Joel.

"It sounds ridiculous, I know," she said, kicking up bits of the ground with her feet. "But I just couldn't stay. I already put myself through hell getting here... and I'm not ready to do that again."

She cringed at the thought of David on top of her, his hands grasped tightly around her neck. It fell silent once again, the crackling of the fire the only sound between the two.

"It's okay, you know." Ellie lifted her head and caught his gaze as Bryce spoke. "I ran too. Maybe not for the same reason, but... we're kind of in the same boat here."

He shook his head as he stared at the ground. "It's hard at first. I hated myself every goddamn day for leaving. But it does get easier, I promise you that much. Just have to keep reminding yourself of why you left in the first place."

"Why'd _you_ leave?"

"Huh. I don't really think that's any of your business," he said, mocking her response from earlier.

She playfully punched his arm. "Alright, asshole."

He sighed. "I think some things are better kept to ourselves."

"Fair enough." Ellie rubbed her hands together and blew air into them, trying to warm herself up.

"Are you cold?" Bryce quickly stood up from the bench and walked over to his tent, grabbing a bright purple comforter from the ground.

"Oh, no, really, you don't have to-"

"It's not my first choice," he laughed, looking at the small hearts and unicorns that covered its entire front side. "But it should keep you warm."

He wrapped it around her back and she clutched it in her hands, holding it around the front of her face. "Thanks."

Lying down on the bench, she curled up on her side and closed her eyes, letting out a yawn before slowly drifting off to sleep. Bryce managed to carry her tiny body into the tent, placing her on a pile of blankets he had been using as a mattress.

"What are you doing?" Her eyes were squinted as she tried to see through the darkness.

"I," he started, laying her down and carefully covering her with the comforter. "Am putting you to bed."

"No, no. This is your bed. I can sleep outside," she mumbled.

He chuckled. "Just go to sleep, okay?"

She felt guilty, but she was so enveloped in sleep that she didn't bother to protest.

"Okay. Goodnight, Bryce." Her eyes slowly fluttered to a close.

Bryce rolled himself over to the opposite side of the tent, covering himself up with the one blanket he had left and using his backpack as a pillow. He propped one eye open before shutting down for the night.

"Goodnight, Ellie."


End file.
